


Now and Forever

by charming1



Series: Sexy Boy/Now and Forever [2]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Romance, Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 21:42:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charming1/pseuds/charming1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>**This story continues six months after “Sexy Boy” ended, which should be read first before beginning this one.** </p><p>Justin agreed to be Brian’s new art director for his soon-to-open New York advertising office. But, what about letting Brian be his Prince Charming?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blow It Away

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Queer as Folk and its characters are the property of Cowlip and Showtime. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> The title for this story is the tagline for the musical Cats, which I totally love.

“Hey, Brian, I need you to sign these before I go back to Pittsburgh,” Cynthia said as she walked into Brian’s office on a Wednesday afternoon, looking down at the stack of papers in her hands and oblivious to the scene in front of her. “I marked where you… holy shit!”

Cynthia looked up and saw Justin’s naked ass exposed, his khaki pants and underwear pulled down around his thighs. Justin whipped his head around at Cynthia’s surprised shriek, sweat dripping off his brow.

Brian, who was bent over his desk while having his ass plowed by the breathtakingly beautiful blonde, was also looking over his shoulder at Cynthia, an annoyed scowl on his handsome face. “I thought I told Marlene that I was in a meeting and was not to be disturbed,” he growled at his flustered Chief Operating Officer.

Cynthia had dropped the papers to cover her eyes out of respect.

It was no secret to Cynthia that Brian and his art director had been dating since Justin accepted Brian’s job offer, but she was not expecting to find the men in  _flagrante delicto_  in the President/CEO of Kinnetik’s inner sanctum.

Cynthia, who Brian had appointed COO of Kinnetik, Inc. after opening the new office on Fifth Avenue, had made a special trip to Manhattan the day before, per Brian’s request, to check out the new office and make sure everything was running smoothly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, guys.” Cynthia stooped to gather up the papers she had dropped, trying to not look up. After scooping them up, she turned towards the door and said, “Uh, Brian, you can sign these once you’re… available.” She began to walk towards the door. “I’ll leave them with Marlene, and she can mail them back to me. I was just about to head to the airport. Ta.”

Once the door was closed behind her, Justin and Brian burst out laughing.

“I thought I told you to lock the door,” Brian said, reaching behind him to lightly spank Justin’s ass.

“I tried, but I was distracted by the giant boner I could see through your slacks,” Justin murmured into Brian’s ear, his own slightly-softened dick still lodged in Brian’s ass.

Brian reached up and placed a hand on the back of Justin’s head. “Now… where were we?” He captured Justin’s lips with his and felt Justin’s erection begin to return.

A few moments later, Justin broke the kiss and purred, “Mmm…. I believe I was in the middle of fucking my boss.” He then slowly pulled out of Brian and rammed back in hard, causing Brian to moan. Justin gripped Brian’s hips as he quickened his pace, stroking Brian’s dick while he pounded into him.

Just then, the office phone began to ring.

“Goddamn it!” Brian yelled. Justin secured the condom on his dick and reluctantly pulled out of Brian’s tight, lubed ass. “That useless bitch is fired, I swear.”

Brian picked up the phone, pulled up his briefs and black slacks with the other hand. “Kinney,” he snarled.

“Brian? I know you told me not to call you, but…” Michael anxiously said on the other end.

“Then why the fuck you calling?” Brian asked, feeling his cock shrivel at the sound of his ex-best friend/boyfriend’s voice.

Brian had hardly spoken to Michael since the day Brian threw him out of his hotel room at The Palace six months before. After returning home to Pittsburgh from his week-long trip in Manhattan, Brian was outraged to discover that Michael had not removed his personal belongings from the loft like he had told him to.

After getting properly drunk on Jim Beam, Brian threw all of Michael’s clothes and shoes out of his fourth-floor living room window, where every car that came driving down Tremont ran over the ones that landed on the road. Michael was lucky that all of his comics and toys were in his comic book store, or Brian would have thrown those out, too. Brian then called his super to change his lock and his personal code for the main door of the building, offering him a hundred bucks to make it snappy.

Michael showed up a couple of hours later, where he discovered his tire-marked and rain-soaked clothing outside. He then proceeded to scream up at Brian, who refused to pick up his home phone or cell phone, until someone called the police complaining about the noise. The next day, Brian had to have a ranting and raving Michael escorted out of Kinnetik, yelling at Michael to leave him the fuck alone. Since then, Brian had avoided the Liberty Diner, Woody’s, and Babylon while in Pittsburgh like the plague to avoid running into his ex.

“Brian, I… I’m about to lose my store. I haven’t made a profit for the last three quarters, and now I’m having to use my own money just to keep the electric on. I had to let the guy that worked for me go last week. Hunter’s volunteered to help me in the evenings, so I’m not forced to work twelve hour days. I was hoping that-”

Brian chuckled sarcastically. “What? That I’d give you even more fucking money? Are you high?” He motioned for Justin to sit in a chair in front of the desk.

Justin sighed, pulled the condom off of his dick, and threw it into the trash can. He pulled his pants back up and plopped down into the chair.

Michael huffed out an exasperated breath. “No, I’m not asking for money. I was wondering if you could create an ad campaign to promote my store.”

“And how the hell are you expecting to pay for it, if you’re nearly bankrupt? I’m not running a charity organization here.” Brian walked around his desk, pressed the “speaker” button on the phone, and sat the receiver back down.

He sat down in his plush, leather desk chair and mouthed Michael in response to Justin’s curious expression, which caused him to roll his eyes.

“Well, I looked into getting a loan, but my credit is for shit. They won’t let Ma co-sign, because her credit is as bad as mine.”

Michael paused for several seconds.

Brian looked at the phone and tilted his head. “And?”

“Brian… you owe me this.”

Justin’s mouth dropped open in shock at hearing that.

Brian barked out a laugh. “Excuse me? I owe you an ad campaign so you won’t have to close your store- the store that I paid off your mortgage for?”

“Well, yeah,” Michael answered in a condescending tone, adding a little “pfft” for good measure. “You threw me out of your loft and destroyed most of my clothes! Now all my money goes towards my car insurance, gas, rent, utilities, and food.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry you have to pay for your own shit like everybody else,” Brian said as he brought a cigarette up to his lips. He lit it and exhaled the smoke out of his nose like a dragon.

“So what, you don’t even care that I’m about to lose everything?” Michael griped, loudly sniffling. “You know how much my store means to me!”

Brian could just picture Michael now, squeezing his eyes closed to force tears out so he could sound even more pitiful. “Sell your car, file for Chapter 11 to save your store, and move back in with your mother, if she hasn’t rented out your old room yet.”

“I can’t live with her again, we’d kill each other! With Carl and Em living there, that would be four people sharing one bathroom. Plus, Em uses my old room to store his catering stuff. ”

“And that’s my problem, how?” Brian asked, sticking his tongue out at Justin and crossing his eyes.

Justin snickered.

“Well then, fuck you, Brian! Thanks for nothing, asshole!”

Michael slammed the phone down.

“Fucking cry baby,” Brian groaned, taking another hit off of his cigarette.

Justin stood up, walked over to Brian’s side of the desk, and sat down in his lap. “How did you put up with that whiney bitch for nearly twenty years?” He then took Brian’s cigarette and puffed on it.

“Fuck if I know,” Brian said, kissing Justin on his neck.

Justin blew out the smoke and started kissing Brian, flicking his tongue against the other man’s. Justin moaned as Brian reached up under Justin’s olive green polo shirt to rub his bare back.

The phone started ringing again. Brian growled, and Justin reached over to hit the “speaker” button.

“Mr. Kinney’s office,” Justin said in an exaggerated feminine tone.

“Where’s my dada?” Gus’s sweet little voice asked.

Brian smiled. “I’m right here, Sonny Boy.”

“Dada!” the little boy screamed. “Are you still coming to my party? Mommy promised you’d be here.”

Brian cursed under his breath, remembering that he had told Lindsay the previous month that he would fly to Pittsburgh for Gus’s fourth birthday party that upcoming weekend. He didn’t have a clue what to bring for a present.

“Yes, of course I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Brian said as he continued to rub Justin’s back.

Justin smiled when he heard the love in Brian’s voice for his son.

Melanie’s voice came on the line. “You’d better be here this time, Brian. You promised him you’d come to his party last year, but you chose to work instead, remember? He cried during the whole thing. He wouldn’t even eat his cake, he was so upset.”

“Of course I remember, Mel. I was in Chicago stealing the Brown Athletics account from Vangard. The money I made off that deal went toward our son’s college fund. Don’t forget to thank me when you don’t have to pay for him to go to Harvard,” Brian smugly told her as Justin nuzzled Brian’s hair with his nose.

“Well… you better not break your promise, that’s all I’m saying. ‘Daddy has to work’ is a very tired excuse around here.”

The baby began screaming in the background.

Mel groaned. “Gotta go change Jenny’s diaper for the millionth time today. Say bye-bye to your daddy, Gus.”

“Bye, Dada!” Gus shouted into the phone.

“See ya later, Sonny Boy!” Brian said, hitting the button to end the call. “Shit… I forgot about his party. His actual birthday is next Monday, but The Munchers are throwing the party on Saturday. The kid is obsessed with  _Finding Nemo_  at the moment, so that will be the theme. There will be at least fifty lesbians at this thing.”

Despite the fact that Melanie and Lindsay had separated following Lindsay cheating on Mel with a man a shortly before Mel gave birth, they were still trying to keep the illusion of a family for the sake of Gus and the new baby.

Although Brian missed his son terribly, he was not looking forward to dealing with his family, especially since he knew that Michael and Debbie would most likely be at Gus’s party.

Brian originally promised Gus that he would never be away from home for longer than two weeks at a time, but he had spent the past month and a half in Manhattan. The blonde in his lap, who was currently licking the ridge of his ear, was a big reason for that, along with devoting around fifty hours per week at his new office or around town meeting with clients. Since opening the office four months before, Brian had signed on two more Manhattan-based clients and had recently launched Armani’s fall campaign.

Brian took a deep breath and asked Justin, “Do you want to come with me to Pittsburgh on Friday? We would probably need to stay until Tuesday evening, so I can terrorize the employees at the office for a couple days.”

Justin stopped the ear licking game. “Are you asking me to come home with you and meet your family?”

Brian stared into Justin’s mesmerizing blue eyes. “Yes.”

“Wow,” Justin said. Brian knew that Justin would be surprised at his question. Despite the fact that they had been seeing each other exclusively for the last six months, Brian had never invited Justin to come to Pittsburgh with him.

When Brian did make the occasional trip back home to check up on the Pittsburgh office and visit Gus, he would usually stay for no more than a week. That was the main reason that Brian made Cynthia his COO, because he had planned on spending a lot of his time in Manhattan. Actually, he was beginning to consider Manhattan more his home than the Pitts.

Brian stared at Justin for a few seconds. “Well?”

“Uh… yeah, sure. I’ve been hoping I would get to meet little Mini-Brian soon, anyway.”

Brian smiled and lightly kissed Justin’s pouty lips. “I’m sure the kid will love you.”

Justin stood up and dropped down to his knees. He grabbed the waistband of Brian’s underwear and pants, which were still unbuttoned, and started to pull them down. Brian lifted up so he could pull them down to his knees.

“And now, I’m going to love his Dada for a little while,” Justin said.

He wrapped his hand around the base of Brian’s dick and licked up across the slit. Brian sighed and carded his fingers through Justin’s soft hair. Justin then sucked half of Brian’s long shaft into his mouth, humming around it as he felt Brian lightly tug on his hair.

Then, the phone rang again.

“Son of a bitch!” Brian yelled, hitting the “speaker” button. “Yeah?” he growled as Justin rested his cheek against Brian’s knee.

“Mr. Kinney, is Justin there with you?” Megan from the art department asked.

Justin stood up. “Yes, I am, but Mr. Kinney and I are discussing some very important company matters right now. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

Justin then hit the button to end the call and unplugged the wire out of the base of the phone. “Now, then…” He reassumed his position and pulled Brian’s leaking cock all the way into his throat, burying his nose in Brian’s pubes.

Brian gasped. “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna last twenty minutes!”

Justin looked up and said, “Oh, don’t think that you’re getting out of me fucking you, mister.” He swallowed Brian’s dick again and sucked him for all he was worth.

* * *

After walking into the upscale Clinton apartment building, Justin hit the “up” button for the elevator and whistled “Seasons of Love” from  _Rent_ , a bottle of Chianti in his hand. The doors opened and Justin stepped in and hit the button for the eighth floor. He still smiled each time he got in the elevator to go to the new apartment that he found for himself and his roommate Daphne, just because he could finally afford to live in a building that had an elevator.

Once he made it to the eighth floor, Justin stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to his apartment. He unlocked the door and let himself in, immediately smelling chicken being baked in the oven.

He walked past the couch, where Daphne was sitting and watching an episode of  _Bewitched_  on TV Land, stopping to bend over and kiss her on her forehead. This was one of Daphne’s nights off from performing in  _The Lion King_ , and she offered to cook Chicken Parmesan for the two of them and Brian, who would be joining them soon.

“How was your day, darling?” Daphne asked as Samantha was calling Dr. Bombay.

“Oh, it was just terrible,” Justin said dramatically as he sat the wine on the counter and took a cork screw out of a drawer. “I spent the morning finishing up the boards for Frawley’s Open Fire, which Brian said were perfect. Because today is the six month anniversary of the day we met, Brian let me choose where we went for lunch, so of course, I chose Gray’s Papaya. God, watching that man eat a hot dog is the most erotic thing, ever… Then after we got back to the office, I blew him and fucked him over his desk.”

Daphne laughed and walked over to the kitchen area. “Oh, we should all have terrible days like that.”

Justin pulled the cork out of the bottle and put it in the refrigerator to chill it slightly. “Do you want to hear the worst part?”

Daphne stirred her sauce pan of marinara, which was simmering on the stove, and looked at her stock pot to see if the water for the spaghetti was boiling yet. “What, he bought you a Mercedes? A Ferrari? A pony to ride around town?”

“No, he knows I like my Jetta just fine. He invited me to fly to Pittsburgh with him on Friday to meet Gus.”

Daphne gasped. “Oh, my God! It’s about fucking time!”

“I know,” Justin replied as he leaned up against the counter. “The moms are throwing Gus a birthday party on Saturday. We’ll be getting back home on Tuesday night.”

Daphne dumped the raw spaghetti noodles into the pot and used a clawed spoon to push the noodles into the boiling water. “That’s a big step for you guys. Before you know it, Brian will be asking you to move in with him.”

“He already did, a couple of weeks ago,” Justin clarified. “I told him I couldn’t.”

Daphne looked at Justin in disgust. “What?! The man of your dreams asked you to move into his bitchin’ Park Avenue condo, and you told him no? What the fuck’s the matter with you?”

Justin sighed. “You can’t afford to live here on your own.”

“Hey, don’t let me prevent you from moving in with Brian. I can put an ad out in the paper for a roommate.”

Justin gasped sarcastically. “How dare you suggest replacing me!”

“Oh honey, there is only one like you,” Daphne said, laughing. “Is that all that’s stopping you, being worried about leaving me here alone?”

The timer for the chicken went off, and Daphne pulled on oven mitts to take it out.

“Well… no. I mean, I love Brian, you know that, but…”

“But what?” Daphne asked just as the buzzer signaling someone outside was requesting that the door be unlocked sounded.

“Speak of the devil,” Justin said, walking over to the speaker. He pressed the button and asked, “Who art thou?”

“Me, you silly twat,” Brian answered.

Justin laughed and pressed the button to let him in. He turned to walk back to the kitchen area. “I guess I’d better set the table.”

“But what?” Daphne asked again, sticking a meat thermometer into one of the chicken breasts to make sure it was done. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”

Justin opened the cupboard and pulled three plates out. “He’s coming up, Daph. We’ll talk about this later.”


	2. It's All Too Much

"Dada!" Gus screamed as he ran over to Brian in the Pittsburgh International Airport, jumping into his father's outstretched arms. Brian picked Gus up and kissed him on his cheek.

"Hey there, Sonny Boy," Brian said, closing his eyes and tightly holding his son for a few moments like they were the only two people on Earth. Brian looked over to Justin. "Gus, this is my very good friend, Justin. Will you say hi to him?"

"Hi," Gus timidly said, immediately burying his face into Brian's shoulder.

Justin smiled at the kid's shyness. "It's very nice to meet you, Gus."

Finally, Lindsay, who was wearing a lovely floral sundress and pink sandals, caught up to where they were standing near one of the baggage carousels. "Jesus, as soon as he saw you, he took off like he shot out of a canon."

Brian gave Lindsay a friendly peck on the lips and shifted Gus over to his right hip so he could hug her with his left arm.

Lindsay then looked over at Justin. "This has to be the famous Justin." She let go of Brian and grabbed Justin into a tight hug. "Brian has told me so much about you."

Justin hugged Lindsay back and immediately recognized her perfume as the same kind his mother wore. "Good things, I hope."

Lindsay pulled out of Justin's embrace, crinkled her nose and nodded. "He said that you are an amazing artist."

"He said the same about you," Justin answered.

Lindsay laughed. "Oh please, Brian hasn't seen any of my work in years."

Brian put Gus down and noticed that the kid was wearing a t-shirt that had "Ladies Man" printed on it. Shaking his head, he then looked over at his two favorite blondes, who seemed to be getting along as well as he hoped they would. "Hey, both of you have sketched me naked before, so..."

"Oh, that's all you have to do to be called a great artist by Brian Kinney, huh?" Lindsay asked right before the buzzer signaling that the luggage was about to come out onto the carrousel went off.

After a minute, Justin found the suitcase they had shared and pulled it off of the carrousel, which Gus kept begging Brian to let him ride. Brian promised that he would take him out for ice cream on Sunday instead, much to Lindsay's chagrin. She'd almost rather watch her son ride the baggage carrousel and pretend he wasn't hers than eat loads of sugar, which would only keep him awake all night.

* * *

Justin walked into the loft as Brian slid the heavy metal door shut behind them. The sunlight was shining through the windows, making the white furniture and hardwood floors appear to glow.

"Make yourself at home," Brian said as he carried the suitcase through the middle of the large room and up the steps to the bedroom area.

Justin walked over to the couch and sat his messenger bag down. He turned to his left and walked over to the large open kitchen, looking at Brian's stainless steel appliances in awe.

Brian came back down the stairs and walked over to where Justin was standing. "What do you think?" he asked the blonde.

"It's pretty nice... almost as nice as your condo in Manhattan."

Brian laughed. "Yeah, and it was about a quarter of the price of the condo, so I can't complain."

He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled it open, expecting to find only a few old bottles of water. Instead, he found a case of water, a six-pack of Sam Adams Light bottles, a half gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, a loaf of wheat bread, some packaged turkey and ham, provolone slices, leaf lettuce, a few Granny Smith apples, and a note signed  _You're welcome, Linds_.

Brian handed the note to Justin and said, "Look, the food fairy came for a visit. Now we don't have to go out for dinner tonight."

"Yay," Justin said, smiling.

Brian closed the door and walked over to Justin, placing both hands on the side of Justin's neck. "I'm going to make you say more than ‘yay' in a few minutes." Brian pressed his lips onto Justin's, the kiss quickly becoming a battle of the tongues.

Justin sucked Brian's bottom lip into his mouth and ran his hands up under his t-shirt, causing Brian's balls to ache in anticipation.

Brian broke the kiss and said, "Let me show you the bedroom..."

Brian laced his fingers through Justin's and walked him over to the bedroom steps. He led the way up and turned around to pull Justin's blue t-shirt off. He dropped it onto the floor and began working on Justin's cargo shorts while Justin kicked off his sneakers. After pulling Justin's shorts and boxer briefs down to his knees, Brian pushed Justin onto the bed. He pulled Justin's clothes the rest of the way off and stopped for a moment to look down at the beautiful, erection-sporting blonde laid out in front of him. Justin looked back up at Brian as he pulled his own clothes off.

Once he was naked, Brian climbed onto Justin's body, straddling him. He felt the head of Justin's dripping dick rub against his belly.

Justin placed his hands on Brian's cheeks and looked into his hazel eyes. "I love you," Justin said in a breathy voice.

Brian took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He exhaled and began eagerly kissing Justin, running his fingers through Justin's hair. They spent the next several seconds kissing and rubbing on each other, and Brian felt Justin raise his hips off the bed to grind against him.

Brian picked his head up to look at Justin. "You want me inside you, Sunshine?"

Justin licked his lips. "Yeah."

Brian kissed Justin again and sucked his tongue into his mouth for a moment. He pulled away and whispered into Justin's ear, "You want me to stick my hard cock into that tight, sweet ass of yours?" He then sucked Justin’s earlobe into his mouth.

Justin groaned. "Uh-huh." Brian reached between them and wrapped his hand around Justin's dick, making Justin gasp.  A moment later, Justin asked, "You know what I really want you to do?"

"What?" Brian purred, suckling Justin's neck as he leisurely stroked his cock.

"I want you to fuck me raw."

Just as he thought he would, Brian froze for a moment and pulled himself up to look at him, squinting his hazel eyes in disbelief. He took his hand off of Justin's cock and placed it flat on the bed to hold himself up.

Before he could reject his request, Justin recited what he had been practicing in his head for weeks: "We got tested almost two months ago after the condom broke that one night, and we were negative. We had already been monogamous for four months at that point, and like the doctor said, it takes three for it to show up on a test, so if we were negative then, we're still negative now. Neither of us has fucked anyone else for six months, and we swallow each other's cum on a daily basis, so what's stopping us?" He huffed out a breath and felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Brian looked over to his right and blinked a few times. He looked back down at Justin with his mouth open, speechless.

Justin stared up at Brian, his heart pounding in his chest. A moment later, Justin nodded and pushed Brian off of him. He stood up from the bed and walked straight into the bathroom, flipping on the light switch.

"Hmm... this is nice," Justin wearily said as he looked around at the black granite countertop and shower, wiping away a tear that escaped.

He heard Brian walk up behind him and sigh. "Justin..."

"No... Brian, you don't have to say anything. I heard you loud and clear." Justin walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. Without looking at Brian, he asked, "Close the door behind you, huh?"

Brian watched as Justin cupped his hands under the stream and splashed some water on his face. He turned around and walked out of the bathroom, pulling the pocket door closed behind him.

Brian walked down the steps and into the kitchen. He thought for a second about taking a glass out of the cupboard, but instead picked up the bottle of Johnnie Walker Black that was sitting on the counter, twisted the top off, and took a large swig. He winced as the whiskey burned its way down his throat. He listened for a moment for any sounds coming from the bathroom, but heard nothing but a train horn blowing in the distance.

Brian took another gulp and sat the bottle back down, replacing the lid. He walked back up to the bedroom, padding lightly so he could hear if Justin was making any noise. Hearing silence, Brian reached down, picked his shorts up off the floor, and pulled his cigarettes and lighter out. He sat on the bed and lit a cigarette. After exhaling the smoke, Brian stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for Justin to emerge from the bathroom.

A moment later, Justin pulled the bathroom door open and walked out wearing Brian's black bathrobe. Without looking at Brian, Justin marched into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Then, the house phone rang. Brian looked over at it and sighed. After ringing a second time, the answering machine kicked on.

"Hey, it's Brian, leave a message," Brian's voice said.

* _Beep_ *

"Brian, it's Deb. Teddy mentioned at the diner this morning that you were going to be in town for the next few days. Uh, I was wondering if you and your boyfriend could come over to my house for dinner Sunday night, if you didn't have any plans. I have to work tomorrow during Gus's birthday party, but you can call me back or come by the diner some time to let me know. Okay, bye, honey."

The machine clicked off, and Brian snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the nightstand. Still naked, he rolled off the bed, walked over to the couch, and sat at the opposite end of where Justin was sitting. He stared at the coffee table, searching for the right thing to say.

"Deb... isn't that Michael's mom?" Justin asked, almost whispering.

Brian sighed. "Yeah, she's probably going to try to nag me into helping her precious little boy with a campaign, but she's bitching up the wrong tree." Brian looked over at Justin, who was playing with a loose thread hanging off the end of the robe's belt. He then scooted over closer to Justin and put his arm over his shoulders.

"Hey," Brian said as Justin looked away. "I'm sorry, okay? It's not like I don't want to...I've thought about it before, especially since getting those negative test results..."

Justin looked at him. He could smell the whiskey on Brian's breath, which was a scent that Justin now associated with his sexy, whiskey-loving boyfriend, and it made his dick twitch. "But...?"

Brian looked down and shook his head. "It's a big deal, you know? I've never done it raw before, and the thought of doing it has always scared the shit out of me. As a gay man, you're always told to be safe, to never send your soldier into battle without a helmet."

"But we both know that we're negative, and we don't have any other kind of STDs, so why do we need to use condoms anymore?" Justin asked. "What, have you been with someone?"

"No," Brian quickly answered, looking into Justin's eyes. "And, I don't want to be with anybody else. I've done more than my share of tricking in the past, and I'm done with that. When I've come back here and you're back at home in New York, all I wanted was to go home to be with you. I never thought about going out to find someone else to fuck or get blown by. Trust me, after being with you, nobody else could compare." Brian felt himself blush, not believing that he actually admitted that to him.

Justin smiled a bit and asked, "Then what is it? I mean, I've never done it raw, either, so that would just make it more special; something we've only done with each other." Justin dropped the end of the belt and took hold of Brian's hand.

"It's just..." Brian said as he looked down at their hands clasped together. "I don't know if we're ready for something so serious. We've only known each other for six months."

Justin pulled his hand away and narrowed his eyes. "Then why would you ask me to move in with you if you're now questioning how serious we are?"

"Why would you tell me ‘no' if you thought we were serious enough to stop using condoms?" Brian counteracted.

Justin looked at Brian in surprise, not expecting him to use that against him. "I told you that I couldn't leave Daphne to pay for our place on her own. She makes a decent living, but I only let her pay what she used to pay at our old place; the rent for our new place is a thousand dollars more a month."

"And when you were in the bathroom after dinner the other night, Daphne told me that she told you that she would find a roommate to pay half the rent so you could move in with me," Brian informed him. "She said that she could afford the extra five hundred a month and was going to put an ad in the classifieds on Monday. I bet it will only take her a couple of days to find someone, given that your place is in such a sought-after area."

Justin huffed out a few breaths, shook his head and said, "It's so nice that the two of you are conspiring against me...but still, it makes no sense that although you feel ready for us to live together, you don't feel ready for us to do it raw."

Brian thought about that for a few seconds. "You're right, it doesn't make sense."

"Also, I didn't want to live with you until I knew you were completely committed to me."

Brian reached into the robe and rubbed Justin's chest. "I  _am_  committed to you. If you want me to prove it..."

Brian was moving in for a kiss when Justin looked away. "Brian, don't."

"Don't what?" Brian said as he feathered kisses on the side of Justin's face.

Justin gasped slightly when Brian rubbed his thumb across his nipple. "Don't do this just because I want it or because you feel obligated now."

Brian kissed Justin's neck and continued to rub circles around his hardened nipple. "I don't feel obligated. You made a sound argument, and I agree with you. I  _do_ feel that we're ready to live together; hell, you sleep at my place nearly every night anyway. And when you don't sleep over, I always wish that you were there with me. Therefore, we should also be ready to do this."

Justin pulled Brian's hand out of the robe. "Not after we just argued about it. If it's going to happen, I want it to be when we're both in a good mood, not when we're stressed out."

"Well, in the meantime," Brian said as he stood up. "Let's relive a little stress."

Brian bent down and grabbed Justin's ankles. He then swung Justin's legs onto the couch and situated himself in between Justin's legs. Brian untied the robe and pulled it open, trailing licks and kisses down Justin's chest and belly. He stuck his nose into Justin's belly button, making him giggle. The giggle turned into a whimper when Brian dipped his head down to lick up the length of Justin's engorged cock.

Brian covered the head with his lips and sucked on it gently. Justin ran his fingers through Brian's shaggy hair, laying his head back over the arm rest. Brian lapped up the pre-cum trickling out of the slit, and then suddenly engulfed Justin's cock, making Justin cry out in surprise. While Brian created a steady rhythm of bobbing up and down on Justin's dick, he began to stroke his own dick, which was painfully hard at that point.

After a few minutes, both of them were near release. Justin was quivering and panting Brian's name, so Brian stopped sucking him and pulled himself up to kiss him. Brian stroked Justin's cock while Justin jerked Brian's, and both of them soon came at the same time, moaning into each other's mouths and covering each other with their juices.

After lying together on the couch to recover for a few minutes, Brian pulled Justin up and led him into the bathroom. Brian removed the robe and hung it back up on the hook on the wall. Brian then pulled open the shower door and turned on the water, reaching under the shower head with his arm to get the temperature right. Once the water was nice and toasty, Brian stepped into the large shower stall and Justin followed him in, closing the door behind them.

Brian pulled Justin to him and devoured his mouth. They spent the next half hour making out and washing each other. Once they stepped out of the shower and dried off, they made sandwiches and ate in front of the TV, both still wearing just their birthday suits. Justin talked Brian into watching his favorite childhood movie,  _The Yellow Submarine_ , which he had snuck into their suitcase.


	3. That's Amore

After circling the neighborhood for fifteen minutes looking for a spot, Brian parked his Corvette two blocks from Melanie's house. Brian and Justin climbed out and began walking towards the house, with Justin carrying a large  _Finding Nemo_ -themed gift bag. He had dragged Brian to Toys R Us that morning to find a present for the birthday boy. Brian wanted to give Gus some cash, but Justin was fascinated by the Leapstar Learning System that they had out on display and insisted Brian buy it. Justin almost bought one for himself.

“I still think we should have just given him money or a damned gift card… the kid won’t want that piece of shit,” Brian griped.

“It’s educational,” Justin said for the fifth time that day, “and you said he already had plenty of toys and clothes. Also, cash or gift cards are so impersonal and take the fun out of receiving a real present.” Justin looked at Brian and noticed a foul expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“I hate going to a party hosted by the Munchers. They never serve anything edible,” Brian answered.

Justin laughed. “We already ate. And, it’s not a party for ‘The Munchers’; it’s a party for your son.”

“Yeah, and when he grows up, he probably won’t even remember it. Birthday parties are just a ploy for people to buy you shit. Plus, I hate kids that aren’t mine.”

As Justin and Brian approached the front yard, they could hear music, laughter, and kids screaming. There were tons of multi-colored balloons and streamers tied to the arbor.

Brian sighed dramatically and draped his arm over Justin’s shoulders. “Could you conveniently get a headache or something in about an hour so we could leave?”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Justin said as they walked under the arbor and into the yard.

A little girl with brown hair came running up to Justin and tried to grab the gift bag out of his hand. “Ooh, let me see!” she screamed as a butch lesbian came running after her.

“Honey, remember what we talked about?” the woman said. “Your birthday was last month.” She stuck her hand out at Brian. “Hello, Brian, long time no see.”

“Dusty,” Brian acknowledged, returning her firm handshake.

After introducing herself to Justin, Dusty pulled her daughter back over to where the other kids, including a crown-wearing Gus, were playing. Justin followed Brian into the house to deposit the gift bag and find something to drink besides punch. They turned into the living room, and Brian immediately locked eyes with Michael, who was sitting on the couch holding Jenny. Sitting next to him were Emmett and Ted.

Emmett, who was decked out in a pink tank top and tight pants which looked like they were made out of his grandma’s quilt, stood up and walked over to the two men. “So, this must be the new beau,” he drawled. “And, how  _beautiful_  he is…” Emmett flashed Justin his famous gap-toothed smile and extended his hand, palm down. “Emmett Honeycutt.”

Justin clasped Emmett’s fingers loosely. “Justin Taylor.”

Brian looked away from Michael and lightly slapped Emmett’s arm. “Don’t piddle in your panties, Em.” Brian then led Justin over to the dining room table, which was covered in presents.

After sitting the bag down among the pile, they walked into the kitchen where Lindsay, Melanie, and a few of their fellow lesbians were making plates of food.

“Well, well, look who’s here,” Melanie sarcastically said.

Brian ignored that remark. “Justin, meet Smelly Melly.”

“Brian…” Lindsay groaned, shaking her head. Although she and Melanie were no longer together, she still wished that Melanie and Brian would get along for the sake of their son.

Melanie smirked at Brian, but shook hands with Justin. “I prefer ‘Melanie’ or ‘Mel,’” she told him.

“Linds, please tell me there’s alcohol,” Brian grumbled.

Lindsay reached into the fridge and took out two bottles of Bud Light. “Please don’t spike the punch,” she said as she handed them to him.

Brian handed a bottle to Justin. “Now, when have I ever done  _that_?”

They twisted the caps off of their beers, clinked the necks together, and took a drink. Brian heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around and saw Michael standing in the doorway with his baby daughter still in his arms.

“Brian, could we go upstairs and talk for a minute, please?”  Michael asked.

Brian took another sip of his beer and looked at Justin for assurance. Justin shrugged and turned to look over Melanie’s shoulder at the snack choices.

Michael walked into the kitchen and passed Jenny over to Lindsay. Michael and Brian then walked upstairs and down the hallway into Melanie’s bedroom, and Michael closed the door behind them as Brian sat down on the bed.

Michael began: “Look, I’m sorry about calling you out of the blue the other day-”

“Michael, I already told you, I’m not running a charity.” Brian interrupted.

“No, Brian… that’s not why I asked you up here,” Michael clarified. “I just wanted to apologize for being so shitty with you then. I was having a really bad day, and I should have waited to call you until after I got home from the store and calmed down some.”

Brian swallowed a few gulps of his beer. “Okay… anything else?”

Michael sat down and put his hand on Brian’s thigh. “Brian…” Michael sighed. “I miss you. Not just as my lover… although, I doubt I’ll ever find another guy that could fuck me as great as you did, but… I miss my best friend. I miss dancing at Babylon and shooting pool at Woody’s. I miss eating breakfast with you at the diner every morning. I... I miss how things used to be before we began seeing each other. I agree with you- I wish that we had never started.”

Brian pushed Michael’s hand away, sat his beer bottle on the night stand, and stood up. “Michael… I’m not that guy anymore, okay? When I get off from work, I’d rather go home, have a couple of drinks, and watch TVthan go and get smashed at a loud dance club while a bunch of pathetic trolls drool all over me. I don’t even do drugs anymore, besides an occasional joint. That’s just not my life anymore, and I’d be lying if I said I missed it… or you.”

Michael shook his head and stood up. “It’s him, isn’t it? Your little boy toy downstairs?”

Brian stepped closer and stared down at Michael. “Justin is  _not_ my boy toy. You don’t even know him, so don’t you dare try to mock him or my relationship with him.”

Michael took a couple of steps back to get away from Brian’s wrath. “Relationship? You? Hell, you barely acknowledged that  _we_  were in a relationship.” He tilted his head and looked at Brian for a moment. “Who are you? Wha… what the fuck happened to you?”

Brian chuckled. “You know, when we broke up six months ago, you asked me when I was going to grow up. I did, and now you say that you wish that things were still the same. It’s like you actually preferred the club boy while you were going on about me needing to grow up. Well, guess what, Mikey? The Brian you once knew and loved is gone, and Justin deserves a lot of the credit for that.”

“Oh really?” Michael asked. “He’s just a fucking kid. How old is he, like twenty-five or something?”

“Almost twenty-two.”

“Jesus, you’re fucking a guy twelve years younger than you?” Michael asked, his face twisted in disgust.

“I’m not just  _fucking_  him,” Brian growled. “He’s my partner. We’ve been together exclusively since you and I split.”

Michael scoffed. “‘Exclusively?’ So what, you don’t even trick anymore?”

“No, neither of us do.”

Michael put his hands on his hips. “So you stopped tricking for  _him_? What the fuck is so special about him? Sure, he’s hot, but pretty little twinks like him are a dime a dozen. Why did you give up tricking for him, but you wouldn’t for me?”

Brian took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “Because I never loved you like I love him.”

Just as Michael was about to say something, there was a knock at the door. It opened, and Lindsay peeked her head in. “Uh, Brian, Gus is asking for you, and we’re just about to serve the cake, so…”

Brian picked up his beer bottle and followed Lindsay downstairs, not glancing back at Michael. Brian found Justin standing in the living room chatting with Emmett.

“Oh my God, I would give my left tit to see  _Mamma Mia!_ ” Emmett exclaimed. “I grew up listening to ABBA.”

“Well, if you ever get the chance to go to Manhattan, you’ll have to go see it,” Justin answered. He smiled when he saw Brian approaching him. “Hey, I was just telling Emmett about the night you took me to see  _Mamma Mia!_ ”

Brian slid between the two men and put his arm around Justin’s waist. “Ah yes. What a gay old time we had.”

Ted walked over to the group and asked Brian, “What did you say to Michael?”

“What the fuck does it matter to you, Theodore?” Brian snarled.

“Because he just stomped out of here before Gus opened his presents,” Ted answered. “He found a mint-in-box Spiderman action figure from the seventies on Ebay, and I know he was looking forward to seeing him unwrap it.”

“Yeah, and then he would have shit his pants when Gus ripped the package open,” Brian said, dismissing Ted by pulling Justin out into the front yard.

Once they got back outside, Justin leaned up towards Brian’s ear. “What was that all about?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Sunshine,” Brian said. He put his hands on Justin’s face and pulled him into a kiss.

A moment later, Melanie carried Gus’s  _Finding Nemo_ cake out into the yard for them to sing “Happy Birthday.”

* * *

Justin volunteered himself and Brian (much to his displeasure) to stay and help Melanie and Lindsay clean up after the last of the lesbians and kids went home. While Melanie watched the kids and Brian and Ted picked up the kitchen and talked shop, Lindsay, Justin, and Emmett were cleaning up the front yard.

Justin offered to take the balloons and streamers off of the arbor while Emmett picked up the trash in the yard. Lindsay stood at the foot of the ladder while Justin passed her the decorations he cut down.

Lindsay couldn’t help but have a flashback. “It was right here, three years ago, that Mel proposed to me.”

“Really?” Justin asked.

“Yeah. I had previously proposed to her a few days before at my sister’s wedding. She said no, but then she asked me when we were cleaning up after Gus’s first birthday party.” Lindsay squeezed her eyes shut to fight tears.

“I’m guessing you said yes.”

Lindsay smiled up at Justin. “Of course I did. We had a commitment ceremony a few months later… one of the happiest days of my life… and then, I had to go and fuck it up.”

Justin cut down the last balloon and climbed back down the ladder. “Brian gave me the short version of why you guys split up.” Justin then used the scissors to stab the balloon in his hand.

He heard Emmett scream when it popped.

“Holy Barbra, you scared me!” Emmett yelled.

Justin laughed. “Sorry, there’s more on the way.” He popped another one and said to Lindsay, “You guys seemed to be cordial with each other today.”

Lindsay took a pen out of her pocket and started stabbing at the balloons. “Yeah, but she’s still very upset with me. But, I have nobody to blame but myself. At least things are healthier now that Mel, Michael, and I agreed to how we would raise Jenny.” She paused to pop a few more. “Anyway, you and Brian seemed to be  _very_  cozy with each other earlier. I saw him licking icing off your fingers…”

“He said the only way he’d eat any cake was if I fed it to him,” Justin said, smiling.

They finished popping the balloons and threw the remnants into a trash bag.

“Well, I can honestly say that I’ve never seen him happier. I usually can’t get much information out of him about you, except for how talented you are and how well you run the art department, but it’s obvious that you guys are great together.” As she and Justin broke the ladder down, Lindsay asked, “Are you two thinking about living together yet?”

Justin sighed. “Yeah, he asked me, but I told him no… although I’m beginning to rethink it.”

“Let’s put this back into the garage,” Lindsay said. As they began to walk up the driveway, each holding an end of the ladder, she asked, “Why did you tell him no?”

“Well…” They got to the garage and leaned the ladder against the wall. Justin dropped the volume of his voice and said, “I don’t know how he really feels about me. I mean, some days he is the sweetest, greatest boyfriend on the planet, and other days, especially if he had a bad day at the office, he’ll act like a total shithead. He’ll drink too much and bitch about how incompetent everyone is. I usually end up sleeping at my place on those nights.”

Lindsay chuckled. “That’s just Brian. I’m sure you know by now that he sometimes has trouble keeping his temper in check. But trust me, he wouldn’t have asked you to move in with him if he wasn’t crazy about you… or if he wasn’t in love with you.”

As Lindsay pulled up the garage door, Justin said, “Well, he  _shows_ me that he loves me, but it’d be nice if he actually  _said_  it. I say it to him all the time, and he either just kisses me or doesn’t say anything.”

They picked up the ladder and put it back onto the hooks mounted on the wall. “Justin… Brian’s not the lovey-dovey type.” She put her hand on Justin’s shoulder and continued, “He’s great at  _showing_  how he feels. I mean, he’s always been so wonderful with Gus and always helping us out when money is tight. Although I know he loves him, I’ve never actually heard him tell Gus that he loves him. Maybe he does when it’s just the two of them, I don’t know, but that’s not a word or an emotion he is totally comfortable with. If you had grown up in a love-less household like he did, you’d understand.”

* * *

After leaving Melanie's, Brian and Justin went to the Liberty Diner to grab some dinner. They barely made it through the door when Kiki the waitress (formerly Kenny the waiter) met them at the door to seat them.

“Holy shit, the prodigal son returns!” Kiki yelled when she saw Brian.

Several heads turned as Kiki led them to a booth in her section, followed by whispers of observations. A moment after she left to get their drinks, Debbie emerged from the break room. Brian sunk down in his seat and tried to hide behind his menu.

 “Don’t even try to act like I can’t see you,” Debbie shouted as she walked over to their table. She yanked the menu out of Brian’s hands and snapped her gum.

Along with her usual rainbow vest and buttons, Debbie was wearing a t-shirt that had a picture of racked up pool balls. “Bring your balls. I’ll bring my rack,” was printed above.

“Deb… a pleasure to see you, as always,” Brian said, faking enthusiasm.

“Uh-huh,” Debbie said as she turned to look at Justin. “And who is this adorable little thing?”

“Debbie Novotny,” Brian said, gesturing toward the blonde, “Justin Taylor.”

Debbie shook Justin’s hand warmly, causing her bracelets to clink and jingle. “You are as cute as a fucking button, you know that?” Justin smiled as Debbie turned back to Brian. “Did you get my message yesterday?”

“Yeah… uh, Deb, I don’t think it’s such a good idea-” Brian began to say.

“Hey,” Debbie said, cutting him off. She leaned over in Brian’s face and said, “No matter what happened between you and my son, you are still family, got it?” She lightly smacked his cheek.

Brian blinked a couple of times. “Yeah.”

Debbie moved out of Kiki’s way as she placed the boys’ drinks on the table. “So, I’ll see you both tomorrow at six? I’m making Bolognese.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and walked over to the pickup window.

Brian took the wrapper off of his straw and said to Justin, “Good thing she always has plenty of vino. We’ll probably need it.”


	4. Ride the Lightning

Justin and Brian were in the middle of eating their dinner when Emmett sashayed through the door of the diner. He saw Justin and Brian in their booth and walked over to them, plopping down next to Brian.

"Hello again, gentlemen," Emmett said, reaching to take a fry off of Justin's plate.

Brian smacked Emmett's hand before he could grab one. "Eww. No telling where those paws have been."

Emmett dramatically rubbed the back of his hand. "Meow... Anyway, I don't know what the fuck you said to Michael, but that little princess left me without a ride."

"What did you say about my little princess?" Debbie bellowed, seeming to appear out of nowhere beside their table.

Emmett looked over to Debbie. "Apparently, Brian said something to Michael over at Mel’s that he didn't much care for, and Michael left Gus's party before it even began. I called the store, his apartment, and his cell, but he won't pick up. Teddy had to drop me off here on his way to Group."

The cook rang the bell and yelled to Debbie that one of her orders was up.

Debbie thought of asking Brian what he said to her son for a moment, but decided not to start, especially in front of Brian's new boyfriend. Instead, she looked at Emmett and asked, "Oh, did Gus like what Carl and I bought him?"

"Yes, he loved it! He and his mommies said for me to thank you for them," Emmett answered.

"Yeah, Deb, thanks for buying my son an Elmo doll that sings ‘YMCA'. You're just desperate to see him grow up to be gay, aren't you?" Brian asked.

"He could turn out a lot worse, you know," Debbie said. "Besides, he doesn't sing ‘YMCA'. He sings ‘ELMO'."

Brian threw up his hands. "Oh, pardon me."

The bell rang again. "Deb!" the cook yelled.

Debbie turned toward the window and yelled, "If I hear that fucking bell one more time, I'm gonna shove it up your ass!" She turned back to the men. "Excuse me," she said, smiling before walking off to pick up the order.

Justin laughed after she was out of earshot. "She's a character, huh?"

"Yep," Emmett affirmed. "But, you can't help but love her. She's like a mom to all of us."

Brian nodded slowly in agreement as he finished his turkey meatloaf.

* * *

Justin and Brian arrived back at the loft after finishing dinner. There was a storm rolling in, so the loft was a bit dark. As Justin began to walk into the living room to turn on a lamp, Brian spun him around and planted a kiss on him. He jammed his tongue hungrily into Justin's mouth and grabbed onto the waistband of Justin's jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them.

Brian broke the kiss long enough to growl, "Christ, I've been wanting to do this all day."

He recaptured Justin's lips and lifted him up under his ass. Justin wrapped his legs around Brian's waist as Brian carried him up the stairs to the bedroom. Brian deposited his blonde cargo onto the bed, flipped the switch to turn on the wall sconce above the bed, and began stripping Justin of his clothes.  

"Wow, I had no idea being around dozens of lesbians all day and then having your dinner served by a transgendered waitress would make you so horny," Justin said as his shirt hit the floor.

"Usually, it's the opposite effect." Brian stood up to pull the rest of Justin's and his own clothing off as he looked down at his beautiful lover. "A few years ago, after Mel made partner at her law firm, they talked me into going to a dyke bar for her celebration party. Mel got fucked up on tequila shots and danced topless on the bar. It was like a car crash- I didn't want to watch, but it was so horrifying I couldn't help it. Shit, I thought I'd never get an erection again."

He faked a shiver and then pulled off his boxer briefs, revealing his extraordinary cock, standing at full attention.

"Well, luckily it didn't scar you for life," Justin said as Brian settled between his legs.

They kissed feverishly, sucking and nibbling on each other's lips and tongues as rain loudly began hitting the roof and windows.

"Tell me what you want, Sunshine," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

"I want you to make love to me," Justin answered as he reached up and ran his fingers up through the hair on the back of Brian's head.

"No..." Brian said as he pushed himself up to look into Justin's eyes. "Tell me what you  _want_."

Justin smiled and said, "I want  _you_... just you. Now and forever."

Brian returned his smile, then reached under the bed and grabbed the bottle of lube he knew was there. Wasting no more time, he opened the bottle and dribbled some lube onto his fingers. He closed the bottle, sat it on the bed beside them, and rubbed two fingers around Justin's asshole, feeling Justin tense up at the cold sensation. To get him to relax, Brian covered Justin's mouth with his again. He lightly sucked Justin's bottom lip, which made Justin sigh and open up for Brian to stick a finger into his hole. He rotated his hand so he could rub Justin's prostate.

"More," Justin begged, nearly pulling his own hair out.

Brian sat up a bit, put in a second finger, and began to slowly fuck Justin with his hand while staring at his trembling blonde.

Justin bit his bottom lip and whimpered. "Brian... God..." He lightly scratched Brian's shoulders as he moved his hips along with Brian's hand.

Brian smiled. "I have been mistaken for the big man upstairs before."

Justin laughed a bit, then groaned as Brian scissored his fingers apart. "Mmm... Brian, fuck me... now."

Brian pulled his fingers out and grabbed the lube. He squeezed a generous amount onto his hand and spread it all over his bare cock, his hands shaking as his heart pounded in his chest. After wiping the excess on the sheet, Brian raised Justin's ankles over his shoulders and slid into him all at once.

Both men gasped at the sensation. Brian looked into Justin's eyes and froze for a second, reminding himself that he was inside Justin with nothing between them. He then pulled almost all the way out and pushed back in again, making Justin moan in pleasure. Brian took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes closed, knowing that it was going to be over quickly, the feeling of Justin's warmth and tightness surrounding him almost being too much.

After thrusting into Justin a few more times, Brian felt his orgasm rush through him and he came inside Justin with a loud groan, shaking like a leaf. Justin lowered his legs so Brian could rest on top of him. Brian struggled to catch his breath as Justin rubbed his sweaty back.

"Holy shit," Brian said as he ran his fingers through Justin's hair.

Realizing that Justin hadn't cum and that he was still hard inside of him, Brian rocked in and out of him again, feeling the extra slide that his cum was creating. Brian kissed Justin tenderly as he stroked his cock.

"You feel so amazing inside of me," Justin panted, almost not believing that Brian was making love to him bareback. "So hot."

A few moments later, Brian felt Justin clamp tightly around him as his warm cum spurted out between them and Justin screamed, tears welling up in his eyes in happiness. Brian plunged in a few more times and came for a second time.

After a flash of lightning and a very loud clap of thunder, the light above the bed went out, signaling that the power had been knocked out.

"Oops... sorry, Pittsburgh," Brian said, pressing his forehead against Justin's.

They both laughed, and Brian cupped Justin's chin to kiss him one more time. Brian then pulled out of Justin and laid down beside him.

Justin flinched as he felt Brian's warm cum flow out of his ass. "Woo, that's different... and wet."

"When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay," Brian sang out in a deep baritone as he got up and walked into the bathroom.

He felt his way in the dark over to his towels, grabbed one, and walked back to the bed. He handed the towel to Justin and walked over to the kitchen island in near-darkness to get a candle he knew was there.

"Who did that song?" Justin asked as he cleaned himself up.

"It was first a  _really_  old blues song then Led Zeppelin re-did it. That one came out the year I was born," Brian answered. "You weren't even swimming in your daddy's nut sack yet."

Justin laughed. "Nope; my parents didn't even know each other yet. My mom was like, sixteen when you were born."

Brian brought the lit candle over to the night stand and sat it down. "Yeah, yeah, I'm old, blah, blah, blah..." he grumbled as he laid back down next to Justin.

Justin looked at Brian and brushed his bangs off his forehead, the glow of the candlelight somehow making him look even more handsome. "Don't worry, I still love you."

Brian blinked slowly and said, "Show me."

Justin tossed the towel onto the floor and climbed in between Brian's legs as another rumble of thunder shook the windows. Justin lightly sucked on Brian's neck, right where he knew drove him crazy. A few moments later, he slowly started to lick and kiss his way down Brian's chest.

Brian growled. "The suspense is killing me, come on!"

"Alright, alright," Justin said, laughing.

He prepared Brian as he had done with him earlier, using one finger, then two to lube and open him up. After smearing lube onto his bare dick, Justin patted Brian's thigh and said, "Roll onto your side."

Brian rolled to his left side, and Justin crawled up to lay behind him. He kissed Brian's neck and shoulder as he pushed into Brian's ass, plunging in deeper with each thrust.

"Oh... wow," Justin groaned once he was completely inside.

He developed a slow rhythm, taking his time and enjoying the feeling of being encased inside Brian's warm body without a condom between them. Brian grabbed onto Justin's hand and held it tightly as Justin continued to slowly fuck him.

In the past, Brian would usually fuck his tricks hard and fast, racing to the finish line so he could throw them out. He would normally hold off his own orgasm until his trick came, mainly because he enjoyed that extra tightness around his dick as the trick would scream in ecstasy. He also liked the extra little kick it gave his ego, knowing that he was sending away another satisfied customer.

Since being with Justin though, he realized that sex wasn't just about getting off. It was about the emotional  _and_  physical connection with the other person. Although he loved being balls-deep in the insatiable blonde as often as possible, he never imagined that he would ever enjoy bottoming. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he loved the feeling of Justin's tremendous dick up his ass.

A few minutes after he started, Justin kissed Brian's neck and asked, "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Brian confirmed. "This feels great."

Brian let go of Justin's hand and reached back to run his fingers through Justin's hair. His hand now free, Justin reached down to stroke Brian's dripping cock. Feeling Brian tighten up around him, he quickened his pace and felt Brian's warm cum spill out onto his hand. Brian soon felt Justin's warm cum fill him as Justin buried his face into Brian's shoulder, crying out Brian's name.

They laid there together for a few moments before Justin pulled out and grabbed the towel from the floor to catch the river of cum flowing out of Brian's hole.

As they kissed and cuddled, coming down from the pleasure of their lovemaking, the power came back on as the rain began to let up.


	5. What About Love?

"Come  _on_ , Dada, we gottasee the tigers!" Gus yelled at Brian as the soon-to-be four-year-old pulled his father behind him toward the "Asian Forest" exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Justin trailing right behind them.

Gus had been begging Brian to take him to the zoo for the last several months, and with Justin there to help wrangle the boisterous little boy, Brian decided to oblige him. Since the Corvette was a two-seater, Brian borrowed Lindsay’s Honda Civic. The temperature and humidity had gone down after the previous night's storm, and it was a beautiful late-summer day.

Brian laughed at his son's enthusiasm. "We'll get there, Sonny Boy. Those cats aren't going anywhere."

"They're not cats, Dada," Gus said as he continued to pull Brian by his hand, "they're  _tigers_. Rawr!!!"

"Actually, Gus, tigers are a type of cat," Justin chimed in. "Just not the type of cat you're used to seeing."

"Thank you, Jack Hanna," Brian said, smiling back at Justin.

They reached the exhibit, and Brian and Justin stood side-by-side as Gus oohed and aahed over the large Amur Tigers. Gus snapped a picture with the Fisher-Price digital camera Lindsay had bought him for his birthday as one of the tigers yawned.

"Wow!" Gus yelled. "Dada, did you see his  _teeth_?"

"Yep, did you get a picture?" Brian asked as he slipped his hand into Justin's back pocket.

Gus walked over and showed Brian the screen on the digital camera. The picture was a bit crooked and slightly blurry, as if Gus was moving while he took it. "Good job, buddy," Brian said as they moved on to see the other jungle animals.

"We should have asked at the ticket window how long it takes to walk through this place," Brian mumbled to Justin, nuzzling his neck. "I can't wait to get you back to the loft."

Justin giggled and whispered back, "Not so fast,  _Dada_. You promised to take him to Dairy Queen afterwards so he can get a chili dog and some ice cream, remember?" Brian groaned. "Hey, don't pretend like you don't enjoy spending time with him."

Brian looked over at Gus, who was taking a picture of some flamingos, and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I kinda like him."

Justin smirked at him. "Then, we have to go to dinner at Debbie's at six."

Brian groaned again. "Shit... if we skip it, she'll never let me hear the end of it."

They continued to follow the trail and reached the "African Savanna" exhibit, where the lions, elephants, and giraffes were kept. Brian and Justin were each holding one of Gus's hands, swinging him as they walked. Gus squealed each time his feet left the ground. They stopped to look at the zebras when they came upon two men, one pushing a stroller and the other with a little girl on his shoulders.

The man with the stroller looked over at the three of them and smiled. "You guys have a beautiful son."

Justin opened his mouth to speak, but Brian cut him off. "Thanks. He’ll be four tomorrow." He dropped Gus's hand to ruffle his hair.

"Aww," the man carrying the little girl said. He pointed up at his rider. "She'll be four in January."

"And he just turned one," the other man said, indicating the baby in the stroller. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Look!" Gus yelled. "The ost-rick-es are over there!"

Justin laughed and said, "It's ost- _rich_ , Gus," as the boy pulled him over to look at the large birds.

"Have fun keeping up with that little ball of energy!" the man holding the little girl said to Brian.

Brian stopped a few feet away to watch his son and partner stand together as they looked at the ostriches. After his initial shyness with Justin at the airport the other day, Brian was happy to see that Gus had warmed up to him. Before driving to the zoo that morning, the three of them had stopped at a deli that served breakfast burritos and sandwiches. After observing the  _SpongeBob SquarePants_ t-shirt that Gus was wearing, Justin and Gus chatted about the show and other cartoons. Brian had always mocked Justin for watching cartoons, with Justin claiming that he watched them for "artistic observation", but he was now happy that it gave Justin something to bond over with his son.

"Dada, come on, the monkeys are up there!" Gus yelled back, pointing to the "Tropical Forest" canopy ahead. Brian jogged to catch up with them.

* * *

Brian and Justin sat on a bench while they watched Gus feed a goat a handful of oats at the petting zoo in the "Kid's Kingdom" area. Gus laughed as the goat licked his hand.

"You're going to miss him after we go home, aren't you?" Justin asked Brian.

Brian sighed. "Yeah... but even before I opened the New York office, I didn't see him very often, especially after I opened my agency last year. Christ, I was working around the clock for the first few months."

"Well, now that the New York office is fully staffed and running smoothly, are you going to be commuting more to visit him?"

Brian looked at Justin and smiled. "Only if you come with me."

Justin smiled back as Gus ran over to them. "They ate all my oats," Gus pouted.

"Well, Sonny Boy, they're farm animals. They don't have anything else to do  _but_  eat," Brian answered.

Gus pointed at one of the miniature donkeys. "If I had one of those, I'd ride him all day!"

Brian chuckled. "Yeah, and it could sleep in Melanie's room."

Gus gasped and asked, "Would Mama let me have one?"

Brian and Justin both laughed.

"Uh... don't count on it, Gus," Justin answered, lightly swatting Brian's shoulder for putting the idea in the boy’s head.

"Well, I'm gonna ask her, anyway," Gus said.

* * *

After taking Gus to Dairy Queen and getting the kid properly stuffed on chili dogs and an Oreo Blizzard, Brian and Justin dropped him back off at Lindsay's apartment. They had time to go back to the loft for a roll in the sack, followed by a leisurely shared shower. They were now sitting in Debbie's kitchen, waiting for their hostess to serve her Bolognese. Brian wondered how long they had to sit around after eating, making small talk with Debbie and her partner Carl, before they could get the hell out of there.

"So, Justin, tell us about yourself," Carl said as he tucked his napkin into his collar.

"Uh..." Justin said, suddenly nervous. "I grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan-"

"Ooh, I bet your parents are loaded," Debbie said as she tossed her meat sauce with the noodles. “The cost of living is very high there.”

Justin pulled at the collar of his polo shirt. "They're... comfortable. My dad owns an electronics store and my mom was a housewife until they got divorced a few years ago."

Debbie clicked her tongue. "Aww, that's too bad."

"No, it's not," Brian said. "His dad is a homophobic ass."

Justin nodded. "Now my mom is a realtor."

Everyone turned when the front door opened.

"I don't give a fuck what you say, Dude, Tony Stark is  _way_  cooler than Bruce Wayne," Hunter said as he walked into the living room. "Stark is a fucking genius."

Michael walked in behind him. "That does  _not_  make him cooler! Bruce Wayne..." He stopped speaking when he noticed the guests at his mother's table.

"Oh, hi, boys," Debbie said as she sat the pot of food on the table. "I didn't know you were coming for dinner."

"I thought we were always invited for Sunday dinner," Hunter said as he took a soda out of the fridge. He sat down in a chair next to Brian, looked over at Justin, and asked, "Who the fuck are you?"

Debbie opened a cabinet door to get two more plates out. "Of course you're welcome, Baby. You know I always make extra." She then grabbed two forks out of the drawer.

"What are  _they_  doing here, Ma?" Michael asked as he stood in the living room, his hands on his hips.

"Hunter, Justin" Brian said by way of introducing the two young men sitting on either side of him. Brian picked up the bottle of Pinot Noir from the table to refill his glass.

"I didn't notice the ‘Vette outside, Dude," Hunter said to Brian. “But it’s not like I wasn’t looking for it, though…”

Debbie sat the forks and plates down and began serving everyone, starting with Carl. "I invited them," she said to her son.

"What the fuck for?" Michael yelled as he walked over to the table.

"So, you guys are fucking, right?" Hunter asked Justin.

Justin looked over at him, his eyes wide in astonishment.

Debbie spooned out some Bolognese for Brian. "Last time I checked, this is still my house," she answered Michael.

"He asked me if I wanted to fuck him the first time we met," Brian informed Justin as he picked up his fork to eat.

Hunter laughed. "That was back when I fucked guys... for money."

Debbie frowned at Hunter. "You had to make a living, Sweetheart."

"Well, you could have told me they were coming over," Michael said to his mother, scowling at Hunter for mingling with Brian and Justin.

"And when would I have done that, Michael?" Debbie asked as she served Justin. "When I asked for your permission to invite people over to my own Goddamn house?"

Hunter opened his soda. "I thought you  _didn't_  need his permission, Grams."

Brian swallowed and looked at Justin. "I wouldn't have paid him five bucks."

"Fuck you," Hunter told Brian.

"Shut up, Hunter!" Michael yelled.

Hunter picked up his fork and stirred his pasta. "What? I'm just sitting here!"

Michael walked over and pulled the fork out of Hunter's hand. "And now, we're just leaving."

"No way!" Hunter said as he yanked the fork back. "What the fuck else am I supposed to eat?"

"I'm sure Ben has food," Michael answered curtly.

"How  _is_  the professor?" Brian asked Hunter.

Debbie took her seat next to Carl. "He stocks nothing but soy and tofu. Eat up, Honey."

"Actually, tofu is made of coagulated soy milk," Justin told Debbie.

"Who asked you?" Michael snarled at Justin.

"Hey, don't yell at my guest!" Debbie yelled at her son.

"Why are you even here, anyway?" Michael asked Justin.

" _I_  invited him!" Debbie yelled.

"Mmm... this is wonderful, Honey," Carl said to Debbie as he chewed, trying to get her attention.

Hunter took a bite, smacked his lips, and asked Debbie, "Is this beef or pork?"

"Why the fuck would you even want him over here?" Michael asked his mother. "Or Brian?"

"I think she makes it with beef  _and_  pork," Carl told Hunter.

"Because even if the two of you aren't together anymore, Brian is still a member of our family," Debbie told Michael. "And now, Justin is, too."

"The fuck they are!" Michael shouted.

"Are you guys together, like, for reals?" Hunter asked around another mouthful of pasta, indicating Brian and Justin with his fork. "Or are you  _just_  fucking?"

"Honey, don't talk with your mouth full," Debbie told Hunter.

Brian put his arm around Justin. "For ‘reals'...  _and_  we're fucking."

Michael snorted and yelled at Brian, "Bullshit, he's only with you because you have money!"

Justin stood up and said to Michael, "Oh, and  _you_  weren't with him for his money?"

Michael walked over and stood nose-to-nose with Justin. "I was with him because I loved him!"

"I love him, too!" Justin yelled back.

Carl stood up and yelled, "Enough!" Everyone looked over at Carl in surprise. "Michael, sit down and eat."

Michael stood with his mouth open for a few moments, but then walked over to the remaining empty chair between Hunter and Debbie and sat down. Justin and Carl both sat and resumed eating.

Everyone ate in silence for several seconds before Hunter asked Brian, "So, Dude, which one do  _you_  love?"

Brian's mouth dropped open. "Uh..."

Michael scoffed. "Brian told me yesterday that he never really loved me. He's in love with Boy Wonder, here." He looked at Justin and curled his lip.

Debbie gasped, and Justin quickly turned his head and looked at Brian. "You're what?"

"I heard it straight from the whore's mouth," Michael said as he looked down at his plate. "Congratu-fucking-lations."

"Uh, I think it's ‘horse's mouth', Dude," Hunter clarified.

"So that's why you left Gus's birthday party early?" Debbie asked Michael.

"You told him  _what_?" Justin asked Brian.

Brian sat his fork down, tossed his napkin on top of his half-eaten plate, and pushed his chair back as he stood up. "Well, Deb, thanks for a  _lovely_  dinner, but Justin and I must be leaving now."

Hunter snorted. “Yeah, they have some fucking to do.”

"But, Honey, you haven't had dessert yet," Debbie said as Justin stood, still in shock. "I made tiramisu."

Brian took Justin's hand and pulled him to the door. "I'm sure it would have been delicious."

As Brian opened the door, Justin called out, "Thanks for dinner, Debbie."

The men left the house and walked out to Brian's Corvette. After they were both seated and the doors were closed, Justin asked, "You told Michael that you're in love with me?"

Brian leaned his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. "Yeah."

Justin looked down at his lap in the near darkness of the car. "You... you told  _him_ , but you haven't told me?"

Brian lifted his head and started the car. After pulling away from the curb, he sighed and said, "Uh-huh."

"Umm..." Justin laughed sarcastically. "Were you ever planning on telling... oh, I don't know,  _me_?"

Brian scratched his head and asked, "Can we talk about this when we get to the loft?"

"No, we're talking about this now."

Brian stopped at a red light. "I... it's never been the right time."

Justin scoffed. "Are you fucking kidding me? I tell you that I love you at least once a day, and you never respond."

"I usually respond... by fucking you," Brian said as the light turned green, a smirk on his face.

Justin scowled and looked out the window. "That... oh, fuck it."

They rode in silence the rest of the way to the loft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never been to the Pittsburgh Zoo, so I relied on their website for information.  
> http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/


	6. Express Yourself

Brian and Justin rode up the creaky old elevator in silence. Although neither man had spoken for several minutes, Brian could hear Justin breathing heavily through his nose in obvious exasperation. Once the elevator stopped at the fourth floor, Brian raised the grate and walked over to his door to unlock it. He could still hear Justin's agitated nose-breathing behind him.

Brian unlocked the door and slid it open. He casually walked though his loft, turning on lights as Justin stomped in behind him and threw the door closed. Justin walked a few feet into the loft and stood in the middle of the large room, his hands balled up in fists at his sides and his adorable face pinched in fury.

Brian walked over to the refrigerator and pulled an apple out, still a bit hungry after eating only half his plate at Debbie's. After rinsing the apple and tearing off a paper towel to dry it, he passed by Justin on his way over to the couch and said, "You look so sexy when you're angry."

After Brian sat down, Justin harshly exhaled and walked over to sit in one of the white armchairs, muttering under his breath.

Brian took a large bite of his apple and chewed slowly. Once he swallowed, he snickered and asked Justin, "Are you going to continue to queen out about this?"

Justin cocked his head and looked back at Brian with a baffled expression. "Why wouldn't I queen out?" he yelled, waving his arms around. "I just learned that my boyfriend is in love with me... not from him, oh no, but from his ex-boyfriend, of all people!"

Brian took another bite. "I guess that's a yes."

"Are you going to sit there and act like I shouldn't be upset about this?"

"At least you know now," Brian answered. He took another bite of the apple. "Why does it matter how you found out?"

Justin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as Brian chomped on his food. "Jesus, you look like what's-his-face, chewing with your mouth full... like you were raised in a fucking barn."

Brian swallowed and chuckled. "I think he- Hunter- was raised in a crack den, actually."

Justin raised his eyebrows. "Did he really used to hustle?"

"Oh, yeah. Michael and the professor found him working the curb in front of their apartment about a year ago."

Brian finished his apple as Justin continued to stew. Suddenly, Justin whispered, "Lindsay was right."

Brian looked over at Justin. "About what?"

Justin brushed his bangs off of his forehead. "We talked yesterday while we were cleaning up outside after the party. She said that it's always been hard for you to tell people how you feel about them... because of your shitty childhood. That she's never even heard you tell your son that you love him."

Brian kicked his shoes off. "Gus knows I love him," he said as he stared down at his socked feet.

Justin stood up and took a seat next to Brian on the couch. "I'm sure he knows... just like I've known, for a while, how you feel about me. You're great at showing people that you love them... but it's nice to hear it, now and then."

"Justin..." Brian said as he sat the apple core on the coffee table and sighed. "You probably grew up with your Mommy and Daddy telling you they loved you every day of your life. I don't remember ever hearing my parents or my sister tell me that they loved me. I doubt my asshole father ever did love me. He once told me," dropping his voice to imitate his father's smoky drawl, " _I never should have been a family man_."

Justin reached over and ran his fingers through Brian's soft chestnut-brown hair. "That had to be tough."

Brian closed his eyes and tilted his head towards Justin's caress. "Yeah. The only time he ever told me that I was a good son was when I gave him money. Before then though, I was only a burden to him... a mistake. My mom was either always at church, praying for God to banish the soul of every fag on Earth straight to Hell, or sitting in the kitchen, guzzling wine and complaining about how my father would rather spend the evening at his union club or the bowling alley instead of with her. Me and my sister have never been close. So, forgive me for not using that word as a normal part of my everyday vocabulary."

Justin placed his hands in his lap. "But why would you tell Michael that you loved me, when you won't say it to me?"

Brian looked into Justin's blue eyes. "He asked me what was so special about you; why I would give up tricking for you, but I wouldn't for him."

"And you said?"

Brian smiled, noticing how Justin was baiting him. "I told him... because I love you more than I ever loved him."

Justin moved closer to Brian and kissed him warmly on the lips. "Say it again."

Brian cupped Justin's chin. "I love you, Sunshine," he whispered.

Justin smiled brightly. "Now, was that so hard?"

Brian kissed Justin again. " _You_  make me hard."

Justin straddled Brian’s lap and kissed him again, plunging his tongue into Brian's apple-flavored mouth. After a few moments, Justin broke the kiss and asked Brian, "When did you realize it?"

Brian cocked an eyebrow and put his hands under Justin's shirt, rubbing the smooth skin underneath. "You made me hard the first second I laid eyes on you in that restaurant."

Justin lightly smacked Brian's shoulder. "No... Ass."

They laughed together.

"Um..." Brian pursed his lips as he thought about it. "When we were at the Palace, after you left when you overheard the truth about me and Michael…." Justin solemnly nodded in remembrance as Brian slowly ran his hands up and down his back. "I thought I'd lost you then, but I knew I had to do whatever it took to get you back."

Justin grinned. "I swore to myself that I was done with you, but as it turns out, you are a persistent son of a bitch when you want something."

Brian placed his hands on Justin's cheeks and kissed him. He ran the tip of his tongue across Justin's bottom lip and murmured against Justin's lips, "When those elevator doors closed, I knew that I couldn't- and wouldn't- live without you. You are everything I never even knew I wanted."

"Well..." Justin said as he ran his fingers through Brian's hair at the back of his head, "fortunately, you are  _all_  I've ever wanted."

Brian smiled. "Even if I’m an ass?"

Justin answered by kissing Brian again. A few moments later, they pulled each other's shirts off, and Justin stood up and removed his shoes and the rest of his clothes. Brian shucked his own pants, but did not move to get off of the couch. Justin motioned toward the bed, but Brian stuck his hand in between the couch cushions, produced a bottle of lube, and patted his thigh.

Justin chuckled and climbed back on Brian's lap, facing him. Brian squeezed some lube onto Justin's palm and some onto his own fingers. Justin slicked Brian's cock, stroking him with the cool gel while Brian pushed two lubed fingers into Justin's hole. Once they were both ready, Justin lifted up and slowly lowered himself onto Brian's dick, causing Justin to gasp from the initial burn of entry, which soon turned into ecstasy from Brian's generous cock filling him up.

Brian licked and nipped the side of Justin's neck as Justin grabbed onto the back of the couch to use for leverage. Brian enjoyed the hot blonde's body squeezing around his dick while Justin bounced up and down on him like a bronco rider. The lack of condom between them, combined with the deep thrust the position allowed, created almost more pleasure than either man could handle.

Brian reached under Justin's ass and squeezed his cheeks roughly as Justin panted hot breaths into Brian's hair. Justin felt a rush of heat travel through him and sweat break out on his skin from the exertion of fucking Brian like he was, but he continued his furious assault on Brian's dick.

While Justin often enjoyed a slow, sensual lovemaking session with his gorgeous partner, there were times like this that he wanted nothing but a hard and fast pounding, leaving them both covered in sweat and gasping for breath. And, as much as he relished the opportunity to top Brian, Justin often craved the utter bliss of Brian ramming him like a freight train.

As he listened to Brian moan between breaths, Justin felt himself begin to climax, all without Brian ever touching his dick. He felt Brian tense up under him and managed to pant out, "Go."

Brian threw his head back yelled out as he released his load into Justin. At the same time, Justin let go, spurting his hot cum all over Brian's chest and stomach. They held each other for the next minute as they came down from their orgasms, panting like two dogs in the sun.

Brian used his toes to pick his Dolce & Gabbana shirt up off the floor. As he used the shirt to wipe off the mess Justin created, Justin reminded him, "That must have cost like, two hundred bucks."

"And now, it's a two hundred dollar cum rag," Brian pointed out as they both laughed.

* * *

Brian strode into his large office, where his highest-ranking employees were gathered around the conference table waiting for him. He looked incredible in a light brown Boss suit with a white shirt and light blue tie. Justin walked in behind him, dressed in a red Ralph Lauren button-up shirt and jeans, and took the last empty seat at the table.

Brian had called Cynthia an hour before and told her to inform the head of the art department, his advertising associates, and Ted to be in his office at ten to catch him up with how things had been going in his absence.

"Good morning, everyone," Brian announced to the group.

As they all murmured their greetings, Cynthia smiled at her boss, happy to see that he was in a good mood. But, after seeing Justin stride into the room with him, she wasn't surprised.

"Most of you have not met Justin Taylor," Brian said, indicating Justin with his hand. "He is the head of the art department at the Manhattan office. He'll be visiting over the next couple of days, before we go back home- uh, to Manhattan." Brian went around the table and introduced everyone to Justin, only forgetting two of their names. "Of course, you've met Theodore," Brian said to Justin when he got to Ted.

"Hello again, Ted," Justin said, smiling at Brian's Chief Financial Officer.

"Mm-hmm," Ted answered back, barely containing the contempt he felt for whom he considered to be Michael's tawdry replacement in Brian's life.

The night before, as he laid in bed watching porn and wacking the willy, Ted received an irate phone call from Michael, who regaled him with the details of Debbie's Dinner from Hell. Although he was impressed with the artwork that Justin and his department created, Ted for the life of him could not understand why Brian would choose the young twink over Michael. After he had formally hired Justin, Brian threatened to personally castrate Ted and sew his asshole shut if he let Brian and Justin's personal relationship become company knowledge. Brian also reminded Ted again after Gus's birthday party that his personal life was none of Ted's fucking business and to treat Justin with the respect he deserved in front of Kinnetik's employees.

As the meeting began, Brian walked around the table and looked at what each member of the team was working on at the moment. While he was pleased to see that the latest Steel Town Beer campaign was going well, he couldn't help but compare the work of the Pittsburgh office's art director, whom Brian had gone out of his way to steal from their previous employer Vangard, to Justin's impeccable boards and graphics.

After opening the Manhattan office, Brian had transferred a few existing accounts over to the Manhattan office, along with letting the Manhattan team create the accounts for Kinnetik's newly acquired New York clients. Although he knew that he had several talented account executives and artists working in the Pittsburgh office, he was disappointed to see that the old Pittsburgh team didn't quite stack up to the new Manhattan team.

As Brian shuffled though a few boards and sketches, he stopped when he saw a rough sketch that had the words  _Red Cape Comics_  printed on it. "What the fuck is this?" Brian asked no one in particular.

"Oh," Ted piped up as he saw what Brian was referring to. "That's for our newest client I just signed this morning."

"Red Cape Comics?" Brian asked incredulously. A couple people in the room had heard of the local comic book store before, but did not know anything about it personally. "Michael's store?" Brian growled as Justin and Cynthia's mouths dropped open.

"Yes," Ted said proudly. He cleared his throat and continued, "The client and I were able to come up with a payment plan."

"Payment plan?" Brian repeated as he walked over closer to Ted. "Since when do we set up payment plans with clients? Either they pay in full, up front, or we refuse their business."

Ted sank into his chair as Brian leaned towards him. "Well... I though because of your personal connection to the owner of the store-"

"My personal conne-" Brian began to yell until he remembered that they were not alone. Brian stood up tall, straightened his tie, and looked around the room. "Thank you everyone," he said with a fake grin on his face, indicating that the meeting was adjourned.

"Ted, Justin." Brian turned on his heel and walked over to his desk. He sat down in his leather chair and noticed that everyone but Ted and Justin had left. The two men sat in the chairs positioned in front of Brian's desk.

Brian lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He blew out the smoke and calmly asked Ted, "Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Ted sat up straighter in the chair. "I believe I signed Kinnetik a new client... Boss."

Brian smirked. "Well, you can call our  _new client_  and tell him that the deal is off."

"No can do, Bri," Ted haughtily replied. "We have a contract... you wouldn't want to be sued for breach of performance, would you? Also, he made a deposit to show good faith."

Brian glared at Ted. "You spend too much time with Mel... That contract cannot be more than an hour or two old."

"A contract is a contract," Ted replied. He looked over at Justin, who was shaking his head at him, and gave him a dirty look.

Brian sat his cigarette in an ashtray and picked up the office phone. After roughly punching Michael's cell phone number into it, he waited while it rang. A moment later, Brian snarled into the phone, "Get your ass over here,  _now_."

Without waiting for him to reply, he slammed the receiver back down.


	7. Why Can't We Be Friends?

Justin bit his lip as Brian took another drag on his cigarette. "Uh, Brian, could we talk for a moment…" Justin looked at Ted and added, "in private?"

Ted was about to say something to Justin when Brian gave Ted his signature  _fuck off_  glare. "Why don't you go to your office and make a list of the reasons why I shouldn't fire your ass while Justin and I wait for our client to honor us with his presence, Theodore?"

Ted solemnly nodded and left the men to talk.

After the door closed, Brian stood up from his desk and walked over to the mini-bar to pour himself a drink. Justin reached over and picked up Brian’s cigarette. "This is only a suggestion, but... maybe taking Michael on as a client wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Brian looked at Justin as if he just suggested they have a threesome with a woman. "And just what would be good about it?"

Justin blew out a cloud of smoke. "Well, now that we’ll be coming here to Pittsburgh more often to visit Gus and check on the office, maybe it will be easier on everyone if you and Michael could bury the hatchet and be able to get along."

"Why do we have to get along?" Brian asked. "Is it written in stone that we have to be friends for the rest of our lives?" He tilted his head back and took a swig of his good Scotch.

"No; but whether you like it or not, Michael will always be a part of your life. Melanie and Lindsay share custody of Gus and Jenny, so you two will need to be cordial during family gatherings. The holidays are coming up, and Lindsay said that she hoped we would be here for Christmas. Emmett said that he wished we could go out dancing sometime, but you probably wouldn't want to because Michael might be there. And, I'm sure Debbie and Carl would prefer not to see a repeat performance of last night's dinner ever again."

Brian snickered and sat on the edge of his desk. "Yeah, that could have been an Oscar contender for Best Picture... but I still don't see why I should keep him as a client."

"I would never tell you how to run your business, but let's say that we created a campaign for him with my artwork, including local print ads, a commercial, and a new website. If it increased his sales enough for him to keep his store open, he would be forever indebted to us, which may influence him not to act like a bitter old queen when we come around."

"Well, he was already indebted to me... I did pay off the mortgage on the damn store and his mother's house, along with buying him a car and all kinds of other shit, but he seems to have forgotten that," Brian stated, rolling his eyes.

"That was before you guys broke up," Justin reminded Brian. "So he probably doesn't think any of that really counts."

" _None of that counts_?" Brian asked, baffled by what his partner was presuming. "He owed several thousand on the store, and Debbie still owed a few years on her original mortgage, plus a second mortgage worth more than the value of the house! I had to force Deb to take the money. I fucking  _bled_ money for them!"

"Hey," Justin said, putting his hands up, "I'm not saying that he shouldn't be grateful for all that you did for them. I just think that maybe now is the chance to wipe the slate clean."

Brian raised his eyebrow. "What slate? Sure, he's pissed that I'm with you, but-"

Justin placed a hand on Brian's knee. "Brian... I saw his face when I walked out of the bedroom that morning at the Palace, when you guys broke up. Even if he wasn't all that surprised that you had another guy in your bed, he still felt betrayed. Although you said you were planning on leaving him, he might feel like you left him for me. Now he probably feels even more heartbroken, knowing that we're monogamous and that you're in love with me. Maybe he considers the money you gave him and Deb before then as like, a consolation prize or something."

Brian rubbed the back of Justin's hand with his index finger. "Yeah, I guess so... it was one  _hell_  of a prize. But, like I said before, I'm will not give him a campaign."

"I'm not saying you should," Justin said. "Ted said that Michael agreed to a payment plan, so he intends to pay you for it, even if it's not up front and in full like you normally require."

Brian shook his head. "I can't believe that Ted went behind my back like that... I really ought to fire his ass."

Justin snorted. "Well, what you do with him is up to you. He's friends with Michael, so he probably wanted to help him with his store. He knows that things are shitty with you guys, so he signed Michael without your consent."

"Did he think I would never find out?" Brian asked. "Or think that I never look at my own books?"

"Maybe he'll include that on his list," Justin said, smirking.

Their conversation was interrupted when the office phone rang. Brian took the call, and Justin quickly inferred that the caller was someone from the Manhattan office asking Brian a question about one of their accounts. Brian had just wrapped up the call when the receptionist informed Brian that Michael had arrived in the building.

Brian was walking over to the conference table when Michael shoved the door open. "I hope you know that I had to close the store to come over here," Michael snarled at Brian.

"Well, considering the fact that your usual clients are currently sleeping in geometry class or in their mom's basement, you're not losing much business," Brian stated.

It was then that Michael noticed Justin, who had gotten up to join Brian at the table. "What the fuck is he doing here?" Michael asked Brian. "Is this ‘Bring Your Twink to Work Day'? Is it impossible for you to go anywhere without him following you like a fucking puppy dog?"

"Actually, Justin is the art director at my Manhattan office," Brian clarified. "And he's the only reason why I'm not on the phone with my attorney right now to see if I can void the contract that you signed with Ted this morning."

Justin smiled smugly at Michael, who was standing a few feet from the table with a confused look on his face. "I suggested to Brian that we take advantage of this opportunity for us to work together."

" _Us_?" Michael inquired, placing his hands on his hips.

Justin nodded. "Fortunately, I've always loved animation, so combined with Brian's brilliant ideas, my art, and your knowledge of comic book culture, we can make a kick ass campaign for your store."

Michael scratched his head. "What's in it for you?"

"Justin hopes that by us working together, we can call a truce and you'll be able to be in the same room with the two of us without acting like a jealous asshole," Brian answered for Justin.

"Jealous? Of him?" Michael pointed at Justin and snorted. "Please."

"Well then, we shouldn't have a problem co-existing when we see each other in the future, right?" Justin asked as he picked up the rough sketch that the head of the art department left on the table. He flipped the paper over, picked up a pencil from the table, and began sketching something.

Michael pressed his lips together and took a seat at the table across from Brian.

* * *

"Well, I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with your ideas," Michael said to Justin an hour later. "Hopefully this will be enough to turn my business around."

"I'll transfer these designs onto the computer, and Brian can email them to you and see what you think," Justin said as he cracked his knuckles.

Brian stood up and stretched. "You can do that later. I'm fucking starving."

"Me, too," Michael said as he stood. "Uh... do you guys want to go to the diner for lunch?"

Despite Michael's hopeful expression, Brian said, "No... we were planning on ordering in some Thai."

Michael tried to hide his disappointment as he slowly walked to the door. "Oh, that's cool... I guess I'll talk to you guys later." He awkwardly waved good-bye and let himself out.


	8. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

Brian could feel the thumping bass coming from inside as he and Justin walked to the end of the long line outside the door at Babylon. After a couple of minutes, he stood on his toes and could see an unfamiliar bouncer at the door, a older burly man in a leather vest and pants, who seemed to be carefully scrutinizing the ID of everyone attempting to enter the club.

“Fuck this shit,” he growled as he grasped Justin’s hand and pulled him to the front of the line. Brian ignored the angry objections of the people waiting in front of them. He used his hip to bump a drag queen at the front of the line out of the way.

“Hi,” Brian said to the bouncer, flashing him his most alluring smile.

Leather Daddy hardly paid Brian, who was wearing a red button up shirt and black jeans, any attention. “Back of the line, pal.”

As Brian blinked in astonishment, Justin moved in between him and Leather Daddy. Running his index finger down the man’s hairy chest, Justin purred, “Oh, come on. Certainly, it won’t be  _that_  big of a deal to let the two of us in…”

“Not at all, Sweet Thing,” Leather Daddy answered, smiling back at the adorable blonde, who was dressed in a tight white sweater and blue jeans. He then unhooked the velvet rope and allowed Justin and Brian inside the club, despite the protests of the people in line.

After paying their cover charges, Brian threw his arm across Justin’s shoulders and nuzzled his ear. “Damn, Sunshine, if that guy hadn't been into pretty blonde twinks, we wouldn’t have gotten in until midnight.”

Justin laughed as he and Brian pushed past the black chains hanging in front of the doorway and stepped onto the dance floor. Justin took a few moments to observe the disco balls, flashing lights, falling silver confetti, and nearly naked go-go boys dancing on the platforms. Despite it being a Monday night, the club was packed with dozens of gyrating homos.

“Wow,” Justin yelled over Kristine W’s “Some Lovin’” playing over the sound system. “It’s even gaudier than you described.”

As Brian pushed his way through the crowd towards the bar, he spotted Emmett, wearing a purple silk blouse and black pleather pants, chatting with Ted. Emmett spilled his Cosmo on Ted’s shirt as he wildly waved at them.

“And, it’s about to get worse…” Brian said with a sigh.

“Oh, my God, you guys!” Emmett squealed when Brian and Justin got to the bar. “It’s so great to see you!”

Emmett sat his now-empty martini glass on the bar and gave Justin double-cheek kisses. He then gave Brian a very clumsy hug, consisting of a quick pat on the back and intentional avoidance of their bodies touching. Ted was trying his best to be invisible to both of them, clutching his bottled water like a security blanket.

After ordering two shots of Makers Mark, Brian walked over to Ted and leaned against the bar. “So, Theodore-”

“Oh look, there’s… uh, someone I’ve been meaning to talk to…” Ted stammered as he quickly disappeared into the sea of dancers.

As Brian and Justin tossed back their drinks, the song switched over to “The Only Way Is Up” by The Kinky Boyz.

“Ooh, this is my song!” Emmett hollered. He turned to Brian and asked, “Can I borrow your boyfriend for a couple of songs?”

“Only if you return him in the exact condition you found him in,” Brian answered, giving Justin a light swat on his ass.

Emmett rolled his eyes, linked arms with Justin, and led him to the center of the dance floor. Brian watched as the two men shook their asses to the music with their arms raised over their heads. Several men turned to check Justin out.

_Boy, I wanna thank you for loving me this way…_

Brian caught eyes with Justin, unable to look away from his gorgeous better half, who was oblivious to the fact that every man around him was cruising him. Justin flashed him a big smile and Brian’s heart swelled, along with something else in his lower region. A few moments later, Brian saw someone walk up to his right side in his peripheral.

“Hey,” Michael said. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“We decided to enjoy our last night in Pittsburgh out on the town,” Brian answered, his hazel eyes still glued on his lover, who was now sandwiched between Emmett and a topless, beefy brunette. Not feeling the least bit jealous, Brian felt proud of himself for having the most desirable man in the room as his partner.

Michael followed Brian’s eyes. Seeing that Justin was occupied at the moment, Michael bit the bullet. “Do you want to dance… for old time’s sake?”

Just then, the song changed to “Take On Me” by A-ha.

Brian laughed and asked Michael, “Did you request this?”

“Yeah, they played it the first time we came here,” Michael answered, laughing. “Remember, when we ditched our prom and snuck in?”

Brian shook his head. “We didn’t sneak in; I fucked the bouncer in the alley to let us in.” He then took Michael’s hand to pull him into the crowd. “That was fifteen years ago. God, we are so old!” Brian yelled over the music as he threw his arms around Michael’s shoulders.

“Oh, you’ll always be young and beautiful, Brian,” Michael said as he boogied to the beat, his hands gripping Brian’s hips.

Brian looked down into his old friend’s eyes, his boyishly-handsome face cast in a pink light. “You too, Mikey.”

Michael smiled. “Hey, did you get my reply for the artwork you emailed me?”

“Yep, I saw it right before we left the office. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Ted told me that he’s in trouble for signing me without telling you,” Michael said.

Brian chucked. “Before I leave tomorrow, I’ll make him beg to keep his job. I’ll eventually tell him that I forgive him, but if he pulls something like that again, I’ll hogtie him and throw him off the Liberty Bridge.”

When the song was near the end, Justin and Emmett came bouncing over to them. “Well, what do we have here?” Emmett shouted. “Did Ma and Pa make up?”

“Yeah, we’re friends again,” Brian answered, grinning at Justin. “Can I have my beau back now?”

“Well, I guess,” Emmett said with a smile as he and Brian exchanged dancing partners.

Justin and Brian were dancing closely together to a techno song when Justin asked Brian, “So, where is this backroom you’ve told me about?”

Brian smiled and proceeded to lead Justin through the crowd, past the bar, and into the blue-lit hallway. They walked several feet inside, passing a blonde twink who was holding himself up against the wall as he was being taken from behind by a muscular stud, his shirt pulled up to his neck and his pants down to his ankles.

“Hey Todd, how’s it going?” Brian asked the hungry bottom, who he had never seen outside of the backroom.

Todd turned and smiled. “Fine.”

After finding an empty spot, Brian pressed Justin against the wall and kissed him, reaching down between them to rub Justin’s growing erection through his jeans. Knowing that it would be improper for them to do it raw in their current location, Brian unzipped Justin’s jeans and lowered himself to his knees. In his “Before Sunshine” days, Brian would have never thought of going down on someone in front of an audience, but now, he didn’t give the slightest shit who was watching.

Justin ran his fingers through Brian’s hair as Brian enveloped his cock. After closing his eyes for a minute, he opened them up to see that at least a dozen queers in various states of undress and positions were watching them, their mouths hanging open in shock. Specifically, they were watching what Brian was doing to him. Suddenly feeling self conscious, Justin squeezed his eyes shut and focused on Brian’s hot, wet mouth and throat surrounding him.

Brian reached up and cupped Justin’s bare ass, causing the blonde to arch his back off the wall and forget that they weren’t alone. After Justin shot into Brian’s throat, loudly groaning as he did so, there was a round of applause.

“Thanks, Kinney. I’ll be jerking off to that performance for the next month,” a man covered in tattoos said.

Everyone in earshot concurred.

After tucking Justin back into his pants, Brian stood up and shared his taste with him. Justin glanced around the room and noticed that everyone had gone back to what and who they were doing.

Before Justin could return the favor, Brian whispered into his ear, “Let’s go home, Sunshine.”

* * *

Both men had their pants undone before Brian was able to get the loft's door open. Once the door was closed and locked, they each threw their clothes off in record time. It helped that Justin had unbuttoned Brian’s shirt in the elevator.

Justin and Brian were locked into a tight embrace, mauling each other’s mouths as Justin attempted to steer them to the bedroom. Instead, Brian guided him over to the dining room table and pulled one of the chairs out of the way. Getting the hint, Justin sat on the table.

After running to retrieve a bottle of lube and a towel, Brian dragged the chair back in front of Justin and sat down. He pushed Justin to lie down on the table and propped Justin’s feet on the chair’s armrests so he was spread out in front of him. Brian took a few seconds to stare at one of his favorite parts of Justin’s anatomy then leaned forward to swipe his tongue over it.

Justin sighed and spread his legs further. Brian thoroughly covered Justin’s hole with saliva, stabbing his tongue into it a few times and slowly pumping Justin’s cock until his legs began to shake.

“Brian… inside… now…” Justin panted.

Brian stood and chuckled at the site in front of him. Having nothing else to grab onto, Justin was rubbing his left nipple as the other hand gripped a fistful of blonde hair. There was a puddle of pre-cum on his tight belly.

“You are so hot,” Brian growled as he picked up the lube and coated his right hand.

As he smeared it over his painfully hard dick, Justin suddenly sat up and grabbed him to guide it into him. He then lifted his legs to place them over Brian’s shoulders.

Brian tightly held on to Justin’s thighs as he plunged into him as deeply as he could. The moans and whimpers emanating out of Justin’s mouth turned him on just as much as the physical pleasure of fucking him did. Brian looked at Justin’s sweet face, his eyes squeezed shut and his brow furrowed.

“Look at me, Justin,” Brian ordered, wanting to see those blue eyes he adored. Justin opened his eyes and looked into Brian’s. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you, too,” Justin managed to cry out as he unloaded all over his chest. “Brian, fuck!”

Brian gasped as Justin contracted around him. After managing a few more thrusts, Brian came harder than he ever thought he had in his life, yelling out to a deity that he didn’t believe in.

* * *

“Christ, Sunshine, I didn’t know you owned so many clothes,” Brian said as he used a box cutter to open yet another of Justin’s boxes in his Park Avenue condo two weeks later, the third box that was marked  _Jeans_. Brian had already opened and unpacked boxes marked _Dress Pants_ ,  _Casual Pants_ , and  _Shorts_  while Justin was working on the boxes holding a variety of shirts, sweaters, etc. They hadn’t even begun to unpack Justin’s art supplies and computer, which would find a home in Brian’s spare room.

Just as Brian had predicted, Daphne quickly received several phone calls about the “roommate wanted” ad she put in the classifieds. After a few interviews, Daphne decided on a nice young woman named Heather who worked as a dance instructor at the School of American Ballet and had needed a new place after breaking up with her boyfriend. Justin and Daphne had spent the previous weekend packing up his stuff, crying and reminiscing about their three years together as roommates. However, Daphne was all smiles as the moving men took Justin’s belongings out of the apartment that morning, knowing how happy her best friend was going to be living with his Prince Charming.

“You’re the one who insisted on buying me thousands of dollars worth of new clothes,” Justin reminded him. “I already had a ton of clothes before I met you.”

“Yes, but you were supposed to trade the old for the new,” Brian said as he struggled to close a dresser drawer.

Justin shot Brian a death glare. “I am  _not_  throwing out my old clothes. There’s nothing wrong with my ‘Pre-Brian’ clothes.”

“You bought most of them from thrift stores, so they wouldn’t be that much of a loss.” Brian held up a pair of ripped jeans. “Like these- it looks like a bear ate ‘em.”

“I just bought those at Hollister. They were like, sixty bucks.”

Brian shook his head. “I’ll never understand why you kids spend so much money on torn up clothes.”

Justin walked over to snatch the jeans out of Brian’s hand. Instead, Brian tightened his hold on the jeans and pulled the “kid” in for a kiss.


End file.
